| Hyvinkää shooting | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Hyvinkää shooting | |
| Location | 60°37′44″N24°51′29″E / 60.629°N 24.858°E /60.629; 24.858 Uudenmaankatu,Hyvinkää, Finland |
| Date | 26 May 2012; 13 years ago (2012-05-26) ≈1:50 a.m. (UTC+02:00) |
Attack type | Mass shooting |
| Weapons |
|
| Deaths | 2 |
| Injured | 7 |
| Perpetrator | Eero Hiltunen |
| Motive | Frustration |
TheHyvinkää shooting was amass shooting that occurred on 26 May 2012, in the early hours of the morning in the centre ofHyvinkää, Finland, when an 18-year-old man, opened fire onto crowds outside restaurants of Uudenmaankatu street from atop a nearby building using tworifles. Two people were killed and seven others were wounded. The shooter fled the scene and was soon arrested.
An 18-year-old female student nurse died during the incident andpesäpallo playerTopi Koistinen [fi], who was 19, died later in hospital from his wounds. A police officer was amongst the wounded. The city of Hyvinkää held a general mourning period on Monday, May 28, due to the incident and amoment of silence was observed in all schools and educational institutions.
The shooter was identified as Eero Hiltunen, who stated his motivations of the act were frustration that he felt following a wrestling match which he had lost the night of the shooting. A mental health examination had ultimately found that Hiltunen wassane at the time of the crime.
Following trial, Hiltunen was sentenced tolife imprisonment in February 2013. In October 2020, Hiltunen escaped from prison after being put on leave and was promptly recaptured.
The shooter was an 18-year-old man fromHyvinkää named Eero Samuli Hiltunen, born 19 June 1993.[1] He had no previouscriminal record, but had been treated formental health issues in 2008.[2]
Immediately prior to the incident, Hiltunen had spent the Friday evening at a friend's house, from where they walked to the center of Hyvinkää. During the trip, they were joined by a group of young individuals that Hiltunen did not know. He lost in a wrestling match with one of them, which the other members of the group regarded as merely playful during interrogations.[3][4][5]
The group spent the evening drinking alcohol in a restaurant until Hiltunen and other members of the group began arguing, before hethreatened to kill them all. The group also said he had made gestures with his hands that resembled loading a firearm, before he left alone in a taxi at around 11 p.m.[3][6][5]
A few hours after leaving the group, Hiltunen arrived at his apartment and left with twobolt actionrifles and 80cartridges in a carrying case, taken from a lockedgun safe. The weapons belonged to his father. One was aCZ 452 chambered in.22 long rifle and was equipped with atelescopic sight, whilst the other was aSako L579 chambered in.308-caliber and used for range shooting and hunting.[7] The weapons belonged to his father, and Hiltunen did not have aweapons license.[8][4] Hiltunen returned to the centre of Hyvinkää on ascooter,[4] and due to his severeintoxication, he fell twice during his trip and lost some of the cartridges along with a knife.[9] Also during the commute, he changed intocamouflage trousers and fired a singular shot from the .308 rifle into ground.[7]
After returning to the centre of Hyvinkää, he climbed onto the roof of alow-rise commercial building using a ladder behind the building. He stayed on the roof and laid down for about 15–20 minutes, watching restaurant-goers through the scope of the rifle whilst listening to music.[9] He remained on the roof talking to a friend over the phone before posting a message onFacebook stating "It was nice, comrades" and messaging one of his friends "You get anAK74 anddrums and stuff."[7]
At approximately 1:50 a.m., he began shooting indiscriminately at people in front of and within two restaurants and a shop.[4][10] The sound of the shooting was not immediately identified as gunshots by witnesses, as a result of Hiltunen's use of asilencer muffling the gunfire. It was also difficult to determine the source of the shots. Security guards in the area urged people into shelter during the shooting.[11]
Hiltunen fired 22 shots (18 from the .22 rifle and 4 from the .308 rifle[7]) in total during the incident and subsequently fled the scene.[4] The emergency services received one of the first calls regarding the shooting at 1:53 a.m., and first responders arrived at the scene less than a minute later.[11][12] Hiltunen slept through the rest of the night in a forest,[7] and was arrested at around 8 a.m. in the countryside alongJokela, about two kilometers from the scene of the crime.[13][4] The .22 rifle was found on the roof of the building and the hunting rifle in the countryside.[14]
An 18-year-old femalestudent nurse died during shooting[15] and a 19-year-old male,Topi Koistinen [fi], apesäpallo player forHyvinkään Tahko inFinnish Premier, later died at theTöölö Hospital as a result of his wounds.[4] Seven others people were additionally injured, one of whom was in critical condition. Two other injured victims were also members for Tahko alongside Koistinen.[4]
The seriously injured woman was a 23-year-old police officer and goalkeeper forHJK Helsinki,Heidi Foxell [fi], who was working as a trainee at the time and was hit before she could put on a thicker protective vest.[16] The injured were initially taken to Hyvinkää Hospital and from there to Töölö Hospital andMeilahti Tower Hospital inHelsinki for further treatment.[11]
During interrogation, Hiltunen said that he regretted his actions, but could not provide any motive for them. He appeared in Hyvinkää District Court on 28 May on suspicion of two murders and several attempted murders.[17] The Hyvinkää District Court ordered him to undergo a mental health assessment in August before the beginning of the actual trial.[18]
According to police, the people who were with Hiltunen the night before the shootings had no involvement in the crime. They denied having any prior knowledge of Hiltunen's intentions and were unable to provide any motivation behind his actions. None of them had been among those targeted on the night of the shootings.[3] One person who was part of the group and had known Hiltunen before the shootings, said that he was surprised and shocked by the death threats he had made.[19]
Hiltunen was found to have had no connections to any political or religiousextremist groups. The results of hismental health examination were published at the first court hearing. According to the examination, he was culpable when he committed the acts and did not have an illness that would have prevented him from understanding the moral and factual nature of his actions or preventing him from regulating his behavior.[20]
Hiltunen ultimately admitted to committing the shooting.[21] Hiltunen stated his motivations of the act were frustration that he felt following the wrestling match the night of the shooting, with his anger rising at the restaurant before taking the taxi to retrieve weapons.[22]
In November, Hiltunen was charged with two counts ofmurder, seven countsattempted murder, and endangering the lives 32 people. A preliminary hearing was held at Hyvinkää District Court on 19 December and the main trial began on 8 January 2013.[23]
Mikko Ruuttunen, the lawyer for the wounded Heidi Foxell, filed a claim against Hiltunen for a total of 95,000euros in compensation for her injuries. According to the lawyer, the police officer was only released from intensive care on 5 September 2012 and was still in the hospital ward during the trial. Other injured parties filed claims for compensation totaling more than half a million euros.[24]
In his closing statement read on 22 January 2013, Hiltunen's defence lawyer pointed out that, according to a mental health assessment, Hiltunen's personality structure is immature for his age. He also mentioned that Hiltunen's impulse control has been inadequate and he has shown a lack of a sense of reality. Citing these, the defense argued that even if the acts were considered murder, a reduced sentence should be applied to Hiltunen. The prosecution, in turn, demandedlife imprisonment for the accused.[25]
On 28 February 2013, the Hyvinkää District Court sentenced Hiltunen tolife imprisonment for two murders, seven attempted murders and life endangerment, and ordered him to pay over 400,000 euros in damages and legal costs to the injured parties. A mental health examination had ultimately found that Hiltunen wassane at the time of the crime. Hiltunen did not appeal the verdict, however, one of the injured parties filed an appeal regarding the payment of legal aid from state funds.[26]
While Hiltunen was in pre-trial detention in September 2012, boiling oil was thrown at him, causingsecond-degree burns to various parts of his body. The perpetrator was Joona Hasselqvist, who was convicted of themurder of Jenna Lepomäki on the SpanishCosta del Sol in June 2011. The act took place about a week after the Pirkanmaa District Court had sentenced Hasselqvist and his accomplice to life imprisonment. According to the prosecutor, the act had been carried out in a particularly brutal and cruel manner and that Hasselqvist's intention was to cause Hiltunen severe bodily harm. In April 2013, the Southwest Finland District Court sentenced Hasselqvist to one year and three months in prison foraggravated assault. The prosecutor had originally demanded that Hiltunen also be sentenced for assault, because after Hasselqvist threw oil at Hiltunen, Hiltunen had punched Hasselqvist in the back of the head and in the corner of his eye. However, Hiltunen was acquitted of the assault charges. Immediately after the trial, Hasselqvist was transferred back toRiihimäki Prison and Hiltunen toVantaa Prison to serve their life sentences.[27]
On 16 October 2020, Hiltunen escaped from prison after being put on leave. A few hours later, he was recaptured.[28]
The Criminal Sanctions Agency announced on Thursday, October 15, 2020, that a prisoner who had cut off hisankle cuff had failed to return from his prison leave. According to information received byIltalehti, the prisoner in question was Hiltunen, who was serving his sentence in anopen prison,Suomenlinna prison. According to the newspaper, Hiltunen was searched for with the help of police dogs, including in the area aroundFinnish national road 25. Based on tips from the public, Hiltunen was arrested atHelsinki Central Station the following evening. The police said that the arrest had been peaceful.[29]
In June 2021, Hiltunen submitted an application forparole to theHelsinki Court of Appeal. However, in March 2022, he submitted an email to the Court of Appeal withdrawing his application.[4] Hiltunen applied for parole again at the end of February 2024. The Court of Appeal stated they would decide on the matter based on the risk assessment made for Hiltunen and the statement of the Criminal Sanctions Agency at the earliest in 2025.[30] He was denied parole in June that year, stating he had "not yet served a sufficient portion of his sentence" however the court acknowledged that Hiltunen's conduct in prison had been well-behaved and found no evidence that he posed an "obvious danger" of committing another serious offence if released.[31]
President of FinlandSauli Niinistö,Minister of the InteriorPäivi Räsänen andMinister of FinanceJutta Urpilainen expressed their condolences to the families of the victims.[32][33][34] Mayor of Hyvinkää Raimo Lahti described the events as tragic and believed that they would have a long-lasting impact on the lives of the people of Hyvinkää.[35]
A memorial service for the victims of the incident was held atHyvinkää Church on the Saturday evening, attended by approximately 400 people. Speaking at the service,BishopTapio Luoma of theDiocese of Espoo emphasized that "no one should be left alone in the midst of grief and anxiety".[35]
The city of Hyvinkää held a general mourning period on Monday, May 28, due to the incident. A moment of silence was observed in all schools and educational institutions. The city of Hyvinkää held a general mourning period on Monday, May 28, due to the incident. A moment of silence was observed in all schools and educational institutions in Hyvinkää on Monday morning at 9 o' clock, in memory of the victims. After this, school work continued as usual, but conversational support was available for those who needed it. The incident particularly affected theHyria Vocational School [fi], where both of the deceased had studied. A book of condolences was opened in the lobby of Hyvinkää City Hall, where residents could write their condolences.[36]
As the deceased Topi Koistinen was a player for the Superpesis team Hyvinkää Tahko, the Finnish Pesäpallo Association decided to cancel all adult league matches under the association for that weekend. As a result of Foxell's injury, theHJK Helsinki team's nextKansallinen Liiga match was postponed to a later date.[37][38]
Three restaurant security guards who had directed people to safety during the shooting were awarded lifesaving medals in May 2013, they had additionally put themselves at risk as they were not wearing any protective equipment.[39]
Data from Wikidata